By our reporter 2.10.2025
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) said it may resume its nationwide because its dispute with the Dangote Refinery over sacked workers has not been fully resolved.
According to PENGASSAN, it temporarily halted the strike which was called off ” in good faith” on Monday following the intervention of the Federal government, despite the fact no agreement was reached. The union had accused the refinery of illegally terminating the jobs of more than 800 Nigerian workers and allegedly replacing them with over 2,000 foreign employees, mostly Indians.
PENGASSAN president Festus Osifo who was speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, said: “If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because we felt that some things in it were not okay with us.”
“When we subjected it to our NEC, we had to decide on priorities. Some media houses claimed we were only interested in check-off dues. That is false. What we prioritised was how our members would return to work and provide for their families,” he said.
Osifo maintained that PENGASSAN’s position was clear: the refinery must reinstate the sacked workers without delay. He dismissed allegations from Dangote Refinery that the dismissed employees had engaged in sabotage.
“The release that Dangote made on workers sabotaging the economy was totally incorrect. If we had allowed that sabotage tag to stand, those 800 people would not be able to secure jobs in the future. That stigma would remain forever. Clearing that was a very big win. We are not perturbed in any way,” he said.
